Tijekom 2018. i 2019. godine crkvene su se prilike u ukrajinskom pravoslavlju bitno promijenile. Uz znatnu pomoć tadašnje ukrajinske vlade, Carigradska patrijaršija jednostrano je proglasila tek stvorenu “Pravoslavnu Crkvu Ukrajine” (PCU) autokefalnom, tj. samostalnom. Ruska Pravoslavna Crkva pak smatra Ukrajinu svojim “kanonskim teritorijem” i ne priznaje PCU valjanom, nego je naziva šizmatičnom organizacijom. Reagirajući na proglašenje autokefalnosti PCU, ruska je Crkva prekinula euharistijsko zajedništvo s Carigradom. Postoji čak opasnost šizme koja bi obuhvatila cijelo pravoslavlje, u ovisnosti o tome kako će reagirati druge pravoslavne crkve. Aktualna rasprava posljedica je činjenice da u pravoslavlju ne postoji konsenzus o tome kako jedna Crkva može postati autokefalnom. U pozadini stoje ekleziološki problemi koji nisu riješeni. Pitanje autokefalnosti pravoslavna je tematika, ali i za Katoličku Crkvu i teologiju, posebno u njezinom trenutačnom položaju, važno je razmišljati o odnosu između sinodalnosti i prvenstva.; During 2018 and 2019, church circumstances in Ukrainian Orthodoxy changed significantly. With considerable assistance of that-time Ukrainian government, the Patriarchate of Constantinople unilaterally declared the newly created “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” (OCU) an autocephalous, i.e. independent. The Russian Orthodox Church, however, regards Ukraine as its “canonical territory” and does not recognize the OCU as valid, but calls it a schismatic organization. In response to the proclamation of the OCU's autocephaly, the Russian Church terminated the Eucharistic communion with Constantinople. There is even a danger of schism that would span all Orthodoxy, depending on how other Orthodox churches would react. The current debate is due to the fact that in Orthodoxy there is no consensus on how one Church can become autocephalous. Accordingly, there are ecclesiological problems in the background that have not been resolved. The issue of autocephaly is an Orthodox issue, but for the Catholic Church and theology, especially in its current position, it is important to think about the relationship between synodality and primacy.